Banjo



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. H. OLESEN.

BANJO.

No. 586,649. Patented Apr. 2,1895.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Patented Apr. 2, 1895.

BANJO.

O. H. OLESEN.

(No Model.)

6835 7620 Q ea, 7%, WMQ/A 7% k WW/w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLE H. OLESEN, OF ROCK RAPIDS, IOWA.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,649, dated April 2, 1 895.

Application filed July 21,1894. Serial No. 518,170\ (N0 od l-l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OLE H. OLEsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rock Rapids, in the county of Lyon and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos and other Stringed Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

As is well understood in this class of instruments, the tension of the strings tends to bend the neck, loosen the connection between the same and the rim, and throw the neck portion out of proper alignment with the head, thus rendering it difficult to keep the instrument in tune and affecting the quality or timbre of the tone.

My invention has for its object to provide a new and improved means for connecting the neck to the head of the instrument, so that its position with respect to the head may be adjusted to compensate for any deflection in the angle of the neck, and so that the neck portion may be firmly secured to the head without cutting away the rim.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved supporting pin for the thumb or fifth string, the tuning peg being removed from its usual position on the neck and transferred to the head of the instrument so as to leave the upper portion of the neck perfectly free of projections so that the hand may slide freely to and fro in the act of fingering.

Another object of the invention is to provide the rim interiorly with certain straining wires hereinafter described and claimed, for the purpose of preventing the flattening or buckling of the rim due to the tension of the strings or other causes.

I accomplish these objects by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a banjo constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an under side view of the head of the instrument, showing its connection with the neck. Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the neck showing the straining and supporting pin for the fifth string. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section on the line oc-x, Fig. 2, showing specifically the construction of the neck adjusting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a detail, showing the neck adjusting mechanism in perspective.

Referring to the views, a indicates the head, and B the neck of a banjo of any ordinary or preferred shape and general structure. I) is the rim of the head; 0, the adjustable hoop forstretching the parchment, and d the parchment. As the invention relates to features of construction which are applicable to this class of instruments generally, the specific construction and arrangement of these parts are not material.

The neck of the instrument, instead of having an extension which projects through a slot or opening cut in the rim, as has generally been done heretofore, stops just short of the rim, and is connected thereto by the means now to be described. The rear end of the neck portion is preferably cut square across with a plain flat surface parallel with the surface of the rim. Against this fiat end of the neck a metallic plate P is firmly secured by screws or otherwise. Near the lower edge of the plate, on either side of the median line of the neck are pairs of cars orlugs c, c. These lugs are properly spaced to receive between them corresponding lugs f on the rim of the instrument, and screws or bolts 5 passing through perforations in the lugs, when the parts are in position, firmly secure the neck to the rim, as is well understood. In the center of the plate near the upper part there is a wedged-shaped cam 71., and a cooperating block t'is arranged to slide in keepers 7c on the plate, an adjusting screw g, working through a perforation in a lug Z on the plate into a tapped hole in the end of the cam block 1', being provided for securing the block in any desired position. The upper portion of the block is cut away, as shown atjin Fig. 5, to correspond with the surface of the wedgeshaped cam on the plate, and at its upper end the block is provided with a horn or projection 19 projecting toward the rear and arranged to bear against the metallic stretching hoop 0 near the upper edge of the rim, so that the neck portion will have three points of support upon the head, two of which are on 0pposite sides of the median line of the neck near the lower edge of the rim, and the other being in the center nearthe upper edge of the rim.

As will be understood by reference to Fig. 4, by turning the adjusting screw 9 the cam block 1' will be drawn down and the wedgeshaped cam h will press the horn 10 on the upper end of the block outward against the upper part of the rim. In this manner any bending of the neck, or other-deflection of the neck or head with respect to each other, may be corrected, there being sufficient play between the ears 6 and iugsf' to permitaslight pivotal movement at this point.

In Fig. 2 W indicates a straining wire stretched from dilferent points on the interior of the rim just under the parchment. As herein shown it has three points of connection with the rim one ata point 75 near the lower edge of the rim opposite the attachment of the neck, and the others at the sides of the rim up near the head on the opposite side of the center at the points t, if, so that the wire is stretched in triangular form. It may, however, be connected to the rim at'other points if desired, but it is essential that the points of connection should be on opposite sides of the center of the rim. The connection of the wire with the rim should be adjustable, and a convenient means for securing this adjustment is shown in the drawings, wherein screw pins are shown tapped into the rim and having eyes through which the wire is stretched. Turning these pins will strain the wire and give it any desired tension, as will be readily understood.

The cross wire prevents the flattening of the rim due to the pressure of the strings, and the side wires keep the rim from being turned up at the rear or pulled over by the same pressure. The absence of the usual-extension of the neck through the rim, and the triangular arrangement of the wires, increases and improves the sound of the instrument.

At the point on the neck where the tuning peg for the thumb string has usually been heretofore placed, I secure a rigid pin 11. As clearly shown in Fig. 3, this pin has a vertical slot 1 in it running obliquely to the line of the string, and at the upper end of the slot the pin is provided with an undercut shoulder 2 to receive the string and hold that portion above the pin down upon the frets. As will be seen in Fig. 3, the end of the slot toward the head of the instrument stands somewhat higher than; the shoulder 2, so that the portion of the string below the pin is raised above the frets on the same plane with the other strings. Thetuning peg for this thumb string is situated at m at the upper end of the neck of the instrument, and the portion of the string between the peg and the pin 1) bears down upon the frets and is perfectly inactive. By this arrangement, I secure all the eflfects and advantages of a short string without having any projections on the neck of the instrument.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a banjo, or like stringed instrument, the combination of the neck, the plate P secured to the end of the neck, the ears orlugs e, e, at or near the lower corners of said plate, the ears or lugs f on the rim, the bolts or screws ssecuring said parts together, the cam 71. on the central part of the plate near the upper end, the sliding cam-block t co-operating with the cam 72, said block having the horn 2) bearing on the rim at its upper edge, and the screw 9 for adjusting the block; substantially as described.

2. In a banjo, or like instrument, the combination of the rim, with straining wires stretched across the same under the head, said wires being stretched from a point adjacent to the neck attachment diagonally rearward to opposite sides of the rim and connected thereto on the opposite side of the center; substantially as described.

3. In a banjo, or like stringed instrument, the combination of the rim l), the three adjustable screw pins or eyes i, t, 25', secured to the interior of rim in the described location, and the straining wire or wires WV stretched between the pins under the head; substantially as described.

4. In a banjo, or like stringed instrument, the combination with the neck of the instrument, of the tuning peg for the thumb or fifth string located at the end of the neck, and the supporting pin 1; fixed in the neck at a point removed from the end, said pin having an oblique open groove to receive the string, the groove in the pin being deeper on the upper side, and having a shoulder adapted to catch over and hold the string down upon the neck above the pin; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLE H. OLESEN.

Witnesses:

CHRIS OLSEN, J. W. RAMSEY. 

